Rudkhan Castle (; ), also Roodkhan Castle, is a brick and stone medieval fortress in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
that was built to defend against the Arab invaders during the
Muslim conquest of Persia
As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...
. With the fall of the
Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...
, this area became a defensive position against the Arabs in the then-newly established
Tabarestan.
Located 25 km southwest of
Fuman city north of Iran in
Gilan province
Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Regions of Iran, Region 3, west of ...
, it is a
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
complex which was constructed during the Sasanian era (224-651), and later rebuilt in 1096 by the
Nizari Isma'ilis for use by the
Assassins. The castle is built on two tips of a mount, with an area of .
The Rudkhan Castle River originates in the surrounding heights and flows from south to north. Rudkhan Castle sits at the two peaks of a mountain at elevations of 715 and 670 metres and contains strong fortifications and battlements at a length of 1,550 metres.
Description
Rudkhan Castle consists of two parts: Arg and Qorkhaneh. Arg is located in the western part of this building on two floors and its material is brick. The Qorkhaneh on the east side are dominated by two floors with multiple skylights and openings. There is also a spring between the castle and its deepest place.
The eastern part of the castle includes twelve entrances, a prison, an emergency door, a bath and a catchment. The western part has twelve entrances, the spring, the pond, the reservoir, the cold storage, the bath, the royal water basin and several residential units surrounded by towers and fortifications.
Geological features
Rudkhan Castle is geologically built in an area that is known as Gasht complex in the geological division and according to Stocklin's studies, it consists of two phases of transformation. The first is related to the Precambrian - Paleozoic with high metamorphic intensity and the second to the Mesozoic time with low absolute metamorphic intensity. According to geological surveys, the presence of iron reserves in this area has a high probability.
Gallery
File:Gilam - Fuman - Roudkhan Castle - panoramio.jpg
File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (3).jpg
File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio (2).jpg
File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (2).jpg
File:Gilan - Fuman - Qaleh Rudkhan castle - panoramio.jpg
File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio (1).jpg
File:Fuman - Ghaleroudkhan (Roudkhan castle) - panoramio.jpg
File:Gilan - Qaleh Roudkhan - panoramio.jpg
File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio.jpg
File:Gilan - Ghale Roudkhan castle - panoramio (1).jpg
File:Parke-Ghale-RoodKhaan.JPG, Rudkhan Castle Park
File:Rudkhan5.jpg, main road To Rudkhan Castle
File:Ghale Rud Khan.JPG, Full view of Rudkhan Castle
File:Rudkhan Castle by Mardetanha in guilan (10).jpg, View of Rudkhan Castle
File:Rudkhan Castle (190).jpg
See also
*
Architecture of Iran
*
List of castles in Iran
External links
Worldisround.com
Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century
Castles in Iran
Architecture in Iran
Buildings and structures in Gilan province
Castles of the Nizari Ismaili state
Sasanian castles
National works of Iran
History of Talysh
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